Haiti creates ANJHA by executive decree, separating regulation from operation

The Haitian executive created the Autorité Nationale des Jeux de Hasard et d'Argent (ANJHA) by decree dated 11 August and published in Le Moniteur on 21 August 2026, separating regulation from the operation of games that had been managed by the Loterie de l'État Haïtien (LEH). A notice from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) dated 5 October and reported by Haitian media on 5 November further states that the Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI) is the only entity authorised to collect fees and licences; the notice urges operators to pay only through official channels.

Structure and powers of the new authority

The decree creating ANJHA defines it as an autonomous administrative body under the supervision of the Minister of Finance with headquarters in Port-au-Prince. The text provides that ANJHA will issue licences and operating authorisations, inspect operators, combat illegal supply, run responsible gambling campaigns and publish the list of authorised operators. The body will have a five-member board proposed by the Minister of Finance; the Director General will be appointed by the President of the Republic by an arrêté of the Council of Ministers at the ministerial proposal. None of the published texts nor the ministerial notice name members of the board or the Director General.

The MEF links the reform to the fight against money laundering, illicit financial flows and terrorist financing and warns that only the DGI should collect sums due from operators.

Licence classes, guarantees and operator obligations

Decree 43-A authorises licences only to joint-stock companies and for one year, in five classes: luxury casinos, online gaming, borlette, digital platform providers and other gaming halls. Applicants must deposit a guarantee of 5 000 000 gourdes in the Banque de la République d'Haïti and provide proof of source of funds and criminal record certificates for each shareholder. Telecommunications are excluded from the direct operation of games.

Operators that are not online must declare winnings equal to or above 100 000 gourdes (approximately $765 using the Banque de la République d'Haïti reference rate of 130.7542 gourdes per dollar of 7 November 2026) within 72 hours, and those payments must be made by bank transfer or banker’s cheque, not cash. The legal minimum age is set at 18 years and operators must offer self-exclusion mechanisms and limits on deposits, bets and playing time. Illegal operation carries imprisonment of one to three years and a fine of 5 000 000 gourdes.

Fees, taxes and payment schedule

Decree 43-B sets an application fee of 50 000 gourdes and the annual licence fees as follows:

• 10 000 000 gourdes for luxury casinos (≈ $76,500)

• 5 000 000 gourdes for online operators (≈ $38,200)

• 2 500 000 gourdes for borlette operators (≈ $19,100)

• 500 000 gourdes for platform providers and other halls (≈ $3,800)

Operators must pay a monthly advance of 5% on gross gaming revenue (GGR). Payments to providers outside Haiti will be subject to a withholding tax of 15%.

The decree also sets payment of licences before 31 October each year and requires the authority to send the DGI the list of operators before 30 September. Both deadlines had already passed at the time of writing.

Specific regulation for the borlette

Decree 43-B establishes a fixed paytable for the borlette: 50 gourdes per gourde staked in the first draw, 20 gourdes in the second draw and 10 gourdes in the third draw. The text also prohibits the free combinations called "mariage". The paytable and the prohibition formalise rules that directly affect borlette operators.

Transition: the Loterie de l'État Haïtien as operator

The Loterie de l'État Haïtien retains the operational function; authorisations it has issued remain valid until expiry under article 67 of decree 43-A, but their holders must register them with ANJHA. The requirement means continuity for incumbents while their authorisations remain in force. Once those authorisations expire, each borlette banking operation that previously held an authorisation must convert into a joint-stock company, deposit the guarantee and pay the applicable fee to obtain the new licence.

The LEH summarises the new allocation of functions on its website with one phrase:

"l'ANJHA régule, la LEH exploite" — Loterie de l'État Haïtien.

Deadlines passed before the authority is operational and executive sign-off

The administrative timetable raises practical tensions: decree 43-B obliges payments before 31 October and ANJHA was to send lists to the DGI before 30 September; both milestones passed without the published texts naming a Director General, without a clear transition timetable and without indicating how the first payment date should apply to operators that continue to operate under LEH authorisations. The decrees were promulgated by executive means alleging the legislature is "pour le moment inopérante"; texts 43-A and 43-B bear the signature of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and Finance Minister Serge Gabriel Collin, as well as the cabinet.

The regime now exists on paper and includes formally established tariffs, fees and sanctions. Practical implementation depends on an authority that has not yet shown who will lead it or how it will manage the administrative transition.